Locking device



June 13, 1950 E. D. WILLIAMS LOCKING DEVICE Filed Feb. 10, 194'?Attorney Patented June 13, 1950 LOCKING DEVICE Edward Douglas Williams,London, England Application February 10, 1947, Serial No. 727,708 InGreat Britain February 11, 1946 Claims. (Cl. 70-221) The presentinvention relates to door lockin devices or the likehaving an operatinghandle which is adapted to actuate a latching or locking element andincluding key operated mechanism which when operated prevents opening ofthe door or like movable part.

In known types of door lock the key operated mechanism is often arrangedin the handle itself and actuates a locking pin which cooperates with arelatively fixed part, such as a support or guide for the handle, tolock the handle in relation to the said fixed part thereby locking thedoor or other movable partpin this case it is relatively easy to forcethe locking device and gain access merely by applying sufficientleverage to the handle; this results in general in stripping the lockingpin but enables the door to be opened. These locking devices arefrequently fitted to motor cars but the invention is not limited tolocking devices for car doors and it may be applied to other purposes.

In accordance with the present invention a locking device includes keyoperated mechanism which is adapted to connect the handle to anoperating spindle for the latching or locking element in the releasedcondition of the lock to permit the handle to operate the latching orlocking element but in the locked condition the handle is free to rotatewithout any connection with the spindle. I By this arrangement anyattempt to force the lock is frustrated since, in what may be termed thelocked condition, the handle simply turns idly and is not operativelyconnected to the latching or locking element.

The present invention also embraces a method of converting an existinglocking device to include the features of the invention as will beexplained in greater detail hereinafter.

Reference will first be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating apreferred form of lock suitable for motor car doors, this form of theinvention being described by way of example only and in which:

Fig. l is a general perspective view of the parts of the lock, theseveral parts being shown spaced apart, and

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the locking device in assembled conditionfixed to a motor car door or the like, this view being taken looking inthe direction of the arrow A, Fig. 1.

The locking device shown has a handle 3 on the outside of the door,inner and outer panels of which are shown at 4, 5, Fig. 2. The handle 3is arranged to operate a latching or looking unit 6 on the inside of thedoor or in the body of the door, a slidable bolt or latch 'l of whichengages a latch plate 8 in the door frame in the closed position of thedoor. The bolt or latch 1 may be subjected to a spring in the normalmanner, these parts being preferably so arranged that the door is selflatching on closing. The operation of the latching or locking unit 6from outside of the door is effected by a squared spindle 9 extendingfrom the handle assembly and entering a squared aperture H3 in arotatable follower in the unit 6 and connecting with the latch or bolt 1in any convenient manner.

In the known arrangements of locking devices of this character thehandle 3 is adapted to be locked to an escutcheon or rose I l by meansof a radially movable pin on the handle assembly which enters notches orrecesses in the bore of the escutcheon; in the arrangement of thepresent invention the handle is rotatably mounted in a sleeve l2 itselfalso rotatable in the escutcheon ll secured to the outside of the door,said sleeve having an intermediate flange l3 adapted to seat against therear of the escutcheon (Fig. 2) to restrict the axial movement thereofbetween the escutcheon and the outside panel 5 of the door.

The inside end of said sleeve [2 is connected to or carries the squaredspindle 9; this spindl may be integral with the sleeve or the two partsmay be separate and in rotatable engagement one with the other, forexample by forming the end of the sleeve I2 with a squared aperture totake the outer end of the spindle which is preferably enlarged at theend to prevent removal of the spindle from the sleeve. By allowingsufficient play the spindle 9 and sleeve I2 are self-aligning.

The handle 3 is provided with a reduced stem portion Hi to fit closelywithin the sleeve, said stem having a circumferential groove I5 toengage coacting portions in the sleeve to prevent axial movement of thehandle within the sleeve. Said portions may be produced by deforming thematerial as shown at l5a (Fig. 2) at weakened portions formed bytransverse saw cuts [6 therein.

The key operated mechanism may comprise a cylinder lock structure lllocated within the handle 3 at its outer end and adapted to project orretract radially a locking pin It in the reduced portion of the handlestem. This locking pin is adapted to engage an aperture I9 in the sleevel2 in the free position of the lock to effect driving connection betweenthe handle 3 and sleeve l2 whereby operation of the handle istransmitted through spindle 9 to the unit 6 and the door or othermovable part can be opened b withdrawing latch 1. When it is desired tolock the door the key is used to cause the key operated mechanism ll toretract the locking pin I8 which comes out of engagement with the sleeve[2 and hence the handle becomes ineffective to operate the spindle 9 andis free to rotate with no connection with the spindle or with thelocking element.

A locating spring-loaded pin, ball or other equivalent means 20 may beprovided in the part M of the handle to engage a suitable recess 2 l inthe sleeve l2 to assist in locating the handle 3 in that rotary positionin which the key operated mechanism is adapted to project the lockingpin l8 into the aperture IS in the sleeve; that is to say as the handleis rotated a click will be felt in that position in which the key can beused to open the door.

To take up end play of the sleeve l2 a pair of oppositely disposed,axially directed spring pressed balls 22 may be arranged in theescutcheon II as shown on Fig. 2, the said balls being adapted to pressagainst the flange I3 of sleeve l2.

What I claim is:

1. A device for operating a latch securing a movable member comprisingan operating handie, a sleeve in which said operating handle is freelyrotatable, an escutcheon forming a journal for said sleeve, deformableportions on said sleeve engageable with a groove in the handle, keyoperated mechanism associated with .the handle, a radially movable pinin said handle adapted to he engaged with said sleeve, said pin beingoperated by the key operated mechanism, and a connection between saidsleeve and the latch.

2. A device for operating a latch securing a movable member comprisingan operating handle having a reduced stem portion, a sleeve in whichsaid stem is freely rotatable, deformable portions on said sleeveengageable with a groove in said stem, a peripheral flange on saidsleeve, an escutcheon to mount said sleeve in a freely rotatable manner,spring means in said escutcheon bearing on said sleeve, key operatedmechanism associated with the handle, a radially movable pin in saidstem adapted to be engaged with said sleeve, said pin being operated bythe key operated mechanism, and a connection between said sleeve and thelatch.

3. A door latch operating device comprising an operating handle having areduced stem portion,

a sleeve in which said stem is freely rotatable, deformable portions onsaid sleeve engageable with a groove in said stem, an escutcheon adaptedto be fixed to the door and providing a journal for the sleeve, a flangeon said sleeve to locate same between the escutcheon and the door, aspring ball locating device on said stem engageable with a recess in thesleeve, key operated mechanism associated with the handle, a radiallymovable pin in said stem adapted to be engaged with an aperture in saidsleeve, said pin being operated by the key operated mechanism, and aconnection between said sleeve and the latch.

4. A conversion assembly for an existing door latch including anescutcheon, comprising a sleeve designed to rotate freely within theescutcheon, a handle unit adapted to rotate freely within said sleeve,deformable portions on the sleeve to engage a groove in said handleunit, said handle unit including connecting means between handle andlatch, key operated mechanism in said handle and means operated by saidkey mechanism and adapted to form a connection between the handle andthe sleeve.

5. A conversion assembly for an existing door latch including a handle,comprising a sleeve and an escutcheon, the sleeve being adapted torotate freely within the escutcheon and said sleeve being designed tocooperate with the existing handle, connecting means on said sleeve forconnecting with the latch, deformable portions on the sleeve to engage agroove in the handle, and means in said sleeve designed to cooperatewith the locking pin on the handle to form the driving connectionbetween the handle. and the. latch.

EDWARD DOUGLAS WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PAI'ENTS Number Name Date 1,770,864 Rivers V.- V July 15,1930 1,826,472 Keeler Oct. 6, 1931 1,853,918 Miller -7.-- Apr. 12, 19321,899,997 Sullivan u Mar. '7, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date735,139 France Aug. 13, 1932

